Delayed Blossom
by Avery Valencia
Summary: After being afraid of Pokemon for nearly her entire life, May has finally decided to stop letting fear rule her and go on a journey. Sapphire-verse story chronicles. Rather generic.
1. First Steps

Heyo. This is the first of many stories chronicling my current Sapphire playthrough. Things will be relatively close to the game at first, but as I'm also making this an RP blog on tumblr, there will likely be allusions to interactions there as things go further.

For the record, Katrina is May's middle name and she simply prefers to go by it.

* * *

"Trina, sweetie, it's time to wake up; we're here." Katrina grumbled as she felt her mother shake her shoulder and her eyes fluttered open as she looked out of the car window. Her heart jumped into her throat as she looked at Littleroot Town, her Herdier squirming in her lap as he pawed at the handle. She sighed and opened the door, the dog falling into the freshly cut grass as she stepped out. She shook her head a bit as he recovered and began yipping happily as he ran around, glad to finally be allowed some room to run.

"Come on; let's go inside." Clara's voice caught the girl's attention and she nodded as she followed her mother inside the house. It was very nice inside, being one floor with two bedrooms and one and a half baths. It looked almost identical to their old home in Opelucid, but it felt cold and uninviting. She swallowed as she ducked into her room and sat on her bed, hugging her well-worn Victini plush as she looked out the window.

She really didn't want to be here, but she had to be for her father. She had tried to tell them to leave her behind so she could stay with her maternal grandparents, but they had insisted she come with them so "she could get a fresh start." She was already shy enough as it was and forcing her away from her few friends had made her withdraw into herself almost completely.

Katrina was dragged away from her thoughts, however, when there was a soft knock on the door frame and Clara walked in. "Can I come in, Trina?" Her green eyes were soft as she looked at her daughter who merely gave a small nod and the woman walked into the room, sitting on the bed before wrapping her arms around her daughter. Katrina sighed as she snuggled up against her mother who placed a gentle kiss on her head.

"I'm sorry for forcing you away from your friends, but your feather would've been heartbroken if you'd stayed in Unova. You know you mean the world to him." Katrina just gave a small nod as she hugged the plush, calming down a bit as she let her mother's hands pass through her hair. It had been a long time since they'd shared a moment like this and she wasn't going to say no.

A knock on the front door interrupted it and Katrina let out a sound akin to a Skitty that had just been hurt. Clara stood up and left the room, leaving Katrina alone as she strained her ears, hearing little bits of the conversation with the person her mother was having.

"Glad to see you finally moved in; all the activity over here was getting me excited." Katrina blinked as she was able to discern a voice that belonged to a boy, probably about her age. That had to be Brendan. Her parents—especially her father—had mentioned him on multiple occasions. Norman and Professor Birch were very close friends, having grown up together despite having parted ways when they were much younger due to their own parents having to move regions. They had stayed in constant contact over the years and she knew her father was overjoyed to see his best friend again after so many long years.

"Anyway, don't you have a daughter? My father mentioned her…" Katrina sat bolt upright as she let out a distressed squeak, hearing the front door close and Brendan's footfalls approach her room. He peaked around the corner before taking up the entire frame and grinned widely as he closed the distance between them. Her eyebrows raised as she backed up against the wall, seeing the Treecko that sat on his shoulder.

"Hiya! I'm Brendan Birch. You're May, right? My father's told me a lot about you from Norman." He continued to grin as he extended his hand for her to shake, but she just stared at him, looking like a Deerling caught in the headlights of a car. Her gaze remained fixed on the Treecko and he blinked. "Oh, right; you're afraid of Pokemon… I didn't think it was true, but I guess it is." He pulled the Pokeball off his belt and the creature disappeared. She let out an audible sigh of relief and he extended his hand again. "It's nice to meet you." Katrina swallowed as she put her hand in his, completing the handshake as she gave a small nod. He blinked and rubbed the back of his neck, looking at her amidst the awkward silence. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Um…" Her voice was the tiniest whisper as she looked down. Brendan followed her gaze and blinked again when he saw the Victini plush, then glanced around the room.

"I thought you were afraid of Pokemon, but your room is full of them." Katrina followed his gaze around the room which was brimming with all things Pokemon. From photos to plushes to posters to illustrations and more. She looked back down as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Did you take those photos?" She glanced up again and saw her camera on the desk next to her computer, nodding as she turned her eyes downward again. "They're really great; they make my pictures pale in comparison." She caught the flash of another grin on his face as he blinked, taking a PokeNav out of his pocket and sighed. "Sorry, but I gotta go; Dad wants me to check out the Pokemon on route 103. Well, it was nice to meet you!" Brendan stood up and jogged out of the door, making Katrina sigh as she held the Victini plush close.

She let out an annoyed sound when she saw that Brendan had left something behind and dropped the plush. It was a small camera, no doubt the one he used for his research, so she knew she had to give it back. She slid off the bed and headed out to the living room where Clara blinked. "What's the matter?" She held the camera up and her mother nodded. "Be sure to take Jeren with you; even though the Pokemon around here are relatively weak, it can still be dangerous because of Poochyena." Katrina nodded as she headed out the door and her Herdier walked up to her side.

Without really thinking, she headed toward the route between Oldale and Littleroot but was quickly jarred into reality when she heard yips, barks and growls followed by a loud yell. A streak of white passed her and something fell at her feet, stupefied as she watched a man in lab coat climb up a tree. "Hurry; there's a Pokeball in my bag! Get rid of these Poochyena!" The three Dark types were far too concerned with their victim to pay any attention to Katrina.

She swallowed hard as she opened the bag and saw two Pokeballs. She grabbed the first and tossed it, tensing up when she saw the Mudkip emerge. It looked at her and she tensed up, though she could tell it was awaiting orders instead of being hostile.

"Don't just stand there; do something!" she heard Birch order and she hesitated before opening her mouth.

"J-Jeren, M-Mudkip, use Tackle!" The Poochyena turned to face Katrina but were quickly taken off guard by the dual assault. They yelpled loudly and retreated to the tall grass. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Professor Birch who smiled down at her.

"You're really your father's daughter; you handled those Pokemon well despite your fears." Katrina's eyes went wide and she backed up, shaking her head.

"I-It was just a Tackle attack… Anybody could've done it…" Her voice was still barely above a whisper as she wrapped her arms around herself, dropping her gaze to her feet. She jumped when the Mudkip lazily plopped itself at her feet and made eye contact with her. She backed up further and the Pokemon tilted its head, hurt flashing in its eyes.

"Come on Katrina; why don't you just pet him for a job well done?" Professor Birch's sandals came into her field of vision as did his lab coat. She shook her head as she turned around, her entire body shaking as Jeren put one paw on the bottom of her leg, barking softly to encourage her. She let out another distressed whine before turning back around and slowly dropping to her knees. The Mudkip looked up at her expectantly as she extended her hand. With her free hand, she tugged at the collar of her shirt and placed her palm on the Pokemon's head. It let out a happy "Mud!" as she rubbed its head, a derpy smile forming on its face.

"That's not so bad is it?" Katrina looked up at the Professor and shook her head as he handed her the Pokeball. "He's yours now." She squeaked again as she stood bolt upright, staring dead at him. Was he serious? "Of course I am." Apparently her thoughts were written all over her face… "You don't have to journey, but I just thought he should stay with you since he seems so attached already." The professor let out a hearty laugh and and lightly patted her back as she just gave another nod, returning the Pokemon to his ball and heading home.

Katrina went back to her room and shut the door, putting the Pokeball on the nightstand next to her bed and stared at it after she pulled her pillow under her chin. She let out another soft whine as she looked at the device, burying her face in her pillow.

She can't believe she'd actually battled. Yeah, it had been an entirely one-sided affair, but she had vowed to herself a long time ago that she would never battle or train. And now, here she was with a starter that would likely want her to travel around. She sighed as she poked the red and white ball, making it fall onto the floor.

This really wasn't any way to live. She was afraid of the most abundant creatures on her planet and tended to stay inside more often than not because of it. Of course, she did go out to take pictures of them when she gathered the courage to, but then she'd withdraw into the house when she had a narrow encounter with one, benign or not. Her fear had only built up over the years after seeing how much damage the creatures could cause but so had her fascination. That strength was so mystical to her, absolutely mesmerising. She had studied Pokemon in depth to understand how they worked and had an amazing understanding of them—in theory—but she knew that there was so much more to them than just the science.

Katrina sat up and picked the Pokeball off up the carpet, rolling it around her hand. At the rate she was going, she was going to become a shut in that never left the house. She really didn't want that to happen because the world was so beautiful. She wanted to experience Pokemon and become their friends even if they could potentially kill her. She had vowed to never train or journey after that run in with the Bouffalant, but now…

A look of determination flashed across Katrina's face and she stood up, pocketing the Pokeball as she grabbed her backpack. She rummaged through her room as she packed, leaving a mess in her wake. It didn't take too long for Clara to appear in the doorway, her eyebrows arched as she watched her daughter. "Trina, what are you doing?"

"I'm going on a journey; fear won't control me any longer," she said as she turned to face her mother. Her voice was much stronger than it had been in quite a long time which left Clara speechless. "I've studied enough to know about Pokemon but I know I'm naive to how they actually work in real life. This is the perfect opportunity." She shouldered her backpack, mentally going over her checklist as she thought about what she needed. She had put items that she couldn't carry in her bag into the PC which she could easily access through her Pokegear—a gift from her grandmother—so she would be fine supply-wise aside from healing items which she could buy in Oldale.

Katrina looked over at her mother, apprehension replacing the sudden surge of confidence. She was afraid that Clara would stop her, but there was only a look of support and happiness—with a slight trace of worry—instead of anything else. The teen smiled weakly as Clara wrapped her arms around her daughter and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. "I'm proud of you. Good luck." She stepped back from Katrina and nodded as the girl smiled. Without wasting any time, she headed out the door to Professor Birch's lab so she could get her license.

She was heading into the great unknown, but she had her Mudkip by her side. So long as her confidence didn't waver, she would be fine. She had to have faith that her Mudkip would keep her safe from any harm. But as for her goal, she honestly had no idea. It would probably be a good place to start at Rustboro where the first gym and trainer school were…


	2. New Friends

I know the ending with Wally is really rushed. I swear I don't hate him; I just needed to get Katrina to the Petalburg Woods to open her up for interaction on Tumblr.

* * *

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Phorcys…" Katrina sighed as she looked up from the map on her Pokegear and down at her Mudkip. She had left Oldale a couple of hours back and was already hopelessly lost. She wanted to go on this journey, but it hadn't set in on her just how large regions were when traveling by foot. The car paths between Oldale and Petalburg were relatively few and far between, so that made it hard to navigate even with her Pokegear.

"Kip." Phorcys nudged up against Katrina's leg and she tensed, letting out a small squeak as she forced herself to not back away from the contact. Even though she was determined to overcome her phobia, it was far easier said than done. Phorcys was smart enough to keep his distance from her for the most part, but that didn't stop his concern and instinctual desire to comfort her.

"Thanks, Phorcys…" Katrina smiled weakly as she looked around, sighing again. How could she have gotten this lost so soon? She was barely out of Oldale too! The town had seemed to completely vanish into the trees and tall grass a few minutes after she'd left.

_Are you lost?_ The teen let out a small yelp as a tiny voice sounded in the back of her mind and she looked around wildly. Her gaze soon fixed on a Ralts that was sitting on a tree branch, munching on a Pecha berry. She caught a glimpse of its red eyes under the helmet (for lack of better word) before it jumped off the branch and slowly floated to the ground._Do you need help?_

Katrina swallowed as she looked at the tiny Pokemon who just continued to munch on the berry as he looked up at her. "Um, yeah… Do you think you could help me get to Petalburg…?" She looked away as she rubbed the back of her neck, feeling her cheeks heat up from embarrassment. Even ten year olds could navigate better than than she could which was sad to say the very least.

The Ralts hopped up on her shoulder and she squeaked, getting a confused look from the Pokemon. _You're scared of Pokemon? Why are you on a journey then?_ The Psychic type looked at her and smiled sympathetically as it finished the berry.

"I want to overcome my fear… I know therapy would probably be better but I'm just sick of sitting around…" Katrina's voice was hushed and the Ralts nodded, gently patting her cheek. She remained tense but she could tell the Pokemon meant her absolutely no harm which she was glad for. She heard Phorcys yawn and he looked up at her, no doubt wanting to get moving.

_Just follow my directions and you'll be in Petalburg in no time!_ The Ralts smiled brightly as he pointed toward the north and Katrina sighed, hoping that she'd get to see her father soon…

—

True to his word, they arrived in Petalburg about three hours later which made Katrina extremely happy. "Thank you for your help," she said to the Ralts who just shrugged.

_It's no trouble. I normally wouldn't approach someone but you seemed so lost and scared_. He looked up at her and smiled again. _I think I should come with you so I can help keep you on track. Plus, it seems like you don't have the best understanding of Pokemon if that Zigzagoon encounter was anything to go by_. Katrina grimaced as she nodded before pulling out a Pokeball and held it out to the Ralts. Without complaint, he pressed the button and she felt it shake three times before it settled down. She hit the button again and released him, reappearing on her shoulder as if nothing had happened.

"So…would you like a nickname?" Katrina started walking as she attached the Pokeball to her belt again, sighing as she got lost yet again. She was trying to find the gym to talk to her father, but her navigation was just as bad in cities just as it was in the wild. This was going to be a long journey if these first few hours were any indication…

_If you'll give me one_. The Ralts' voice was nonchalant but she could hear a hopeful tone. She'd given one to Phorcys, so there was no way she was going to let her future Pokemon go nameless.

"Let's see…" She began to search her memory for a suitable name, unconsciously following the Psychic type's directions. She wasn't even going to question how he knew his way around Petalburg; Psychic types were among the least understood despite their prevalence through history and Psychic type trainers usually weren't willing to give up their secrets so easily.

Katrina was so deep in thought that she didn't realise they were at the gym until she literally fell through the door. She let out another little squeak when she saw her father with a green-haired boy. He looked desperate, but that quickly changed to shock and confusion when Katrina looked up from her spot on the ground. The Ralts simply floated in the air before taking his seat back on her shoulder after she stood up and brushed her clothes off.

"Katrina?" Norma's eyebrows shot up as he walked over to her, glancing at the two Pokemon accompanied her. "…You're a trainer now?"

"Y-Yeah…" Katrina focused her gaze on her feet though she quickly looked up again when Norman took one of her hands, a wide smile on his face. "I decided to overcome my fear by traveling. I decided this morning after helping Professor Birch out and he gave me Phorcys…" She smiled slightly at the little Mudkip who gave a goofy grin.

"That's wonderful news, Katrina; I'm so proud of you!" Norman patted her on the back and she smiled more at his praise. He'd always pushed her to become a trainer and had tried to get her past her fears by making her interact with his Pokemon—which only ended up backfiring horrifically—so this was basically a dream come true for him. She glanced over his shoulder at the green haired boy who coughed before looking up at her father.

"Right. Katrina, this is Wally. He lives next to the gym." Norman stood to the side and Katrina looked at him. He smiled a bit and she smiled back before Norman took a Pokeball off his belt. "He's here to capture a Pokemon, but I didn't want him going off on his own even with a Pokemon since he has none of his own." Wally look dejected but Norman grinned. "But you're here and you're a trainer, so he can go with you." Katrina let squeaked again as she looked up at her father with wide eyes.

"B-But I only have two Pokemon and I haven't even had a proper battle yet! I don't know anything!" She really didn't count the little spat with the Poochyena since that had been entirely one-sided. She'd done her best to avoid getting into any confrontations with wild Pokemon on her way over to Petalburg due to her severe lack of confidence.

"You won't have to do anything, Kat; just make sure Wally doesn't get hurt, all right?" Norman smiled as he brushed her bangs out of her face and she nodded, giving a resigned sigh. At least he wasn't expecting her to challenge the gym so soon…

She saw Norman hand Wally the Pokeball and his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Thank you; I promise I won't let you down!" He nearly ran out the door and Katrina had to jog to catch up, though he stopped a few yards away from the gym due to a coughing fit. He pulled an inhaler out and breathed into it, panting a bit.

"H-Hey, don't push yourself too hard…" She hesitated before putting hand hand on Wally's shoulder and he looked up at her with a grateful smile. She smiled back weakly and fell silent while waiting for him to recover. Luckily it didn't take too long and they began to walk, soon finding themselves back on Route 102 where Wally found himself a Ralts and captured it. They headed back to the gym where Wally returned the Zigzagoon and headed off.

"Good luck on your journey, Katrina; I look forward to the day we battle," Norman said and Katrina stiffened. She still wasn't sure if she even wanted to take the League on even though she did have plans to battle Roxanne just to see if she could do it. She just gave another meek nod as she headed out of the gym and sighed when she saw the Petalburg Woods. Looks like it was time to get lost again…


	3. (J) Trepidation

Most of my future chapters from here on out will be reflective journal entries. This is mostly because I'm lazy and don't feel like writing long stories for every single encounter.

* * *

_Well, today was quite eventful. _

_We finally got out of the stupid forest, but before that, we ran into someone that claimed to be from "Team Aqua." They were trying to get something from a Devon worker and I had to defend him so they didn't get the "goods"…whatever those are. The guy then said something about looking for something in Rustboro. How stupid can you be to tell me your future plans?! Oh well; it was just further motivation to get to Rustboro.__  
_

_I also decided to check out the trainer school to see if there was anything they could teach me, but I already know everything they taught there. I already know all about attacks, abilities and such due to my long hours of study. The only thing that was half decent was the battle strategy which was being taught by Roxanne herself, but it was still only basics. I made an appointment with her in one week's time to get ready for our battle. _

_I'm absolutely terrified. I did battle a couple of trainers while in the forest, but they were relatively easy wins thanks to Phorcys' current abilities which are far beyond the normal Mudkip's. Coeus told me he's been helping Professor Birch out for a couple of years, so he's extremely well-versed in battle tactics and other things. Of course, that knowledge won't necessarily translate well into my first gym battle as I have no real skills to speak of._

_But I'm terrified that I'm going to lose. Even with as much experience as Phorcys has and my deep book knowledge, it probably won't translate into actual battle. It's not that I don't have faith in Phorcys and Coeus' abilities; it's that I have no faith in myself. I'm still absolutely petrified of Pokemon, yet here I am, about to face a Gym Leader in a week's time. _

_After talking to them, Coeus and Phorcys agreed to an ultimatum: if we lose this gym battle, we go home. I know it seems extremely cruel to them after all the training we're going to do in this next week, but they understand. After all of the difficulties I've faced, I've learned that there's far too many unknowns in this journey for me to be safe. The encounter with the Aqua member proved that there are forces far larger than myself and my team at work in this region and it's becoming dangerous. It might just be a better idea to go home and wait while League deals with those forces. I'm sick of living in fear, but my own personal safety is far more important than getting over that fear. I've made tremendous strides in the past week or so and I am proud of myself for it, but I still doubt in my ability to completely get over these feelings._

_I hope things go well with Roxanne so I can continue journeying. Despite my fears of the unknown being so crippling, my desire to experience new things seems to be overriding that fear at least for the time being. It's really tearing me in half, to be quite honest. I'm sick of letting my fear rule my life and caution is good to an extent, but the way I handle things is extremely unhealthy. I've known it all my life, but actually getting motivation to overcome it has been more elusive than so-called legendary Pokemon._

_I'm just rambling at this point, so I'm just going to go. I do have a lot of training to do, after all._


End file.
